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The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets play the second game of a three-game series on Tuesday evening. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cardinals-Mets prediction and pick.
Another matchup that will have huge implications on the NL Wild Card race, the Cardinals enter Tuesday just a 1/2 game outside of the final NL Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Mets are 3 1/2 games out of that final Wild Card spot, although they are also fighting for the NL East Division title too. The Cardinals dealt a huge blow to the Mets hopes last night, as St. Louis was dominant from the beginning, winning 7-0. The Mets have the clear pitching advantage in this game, but the Cardinals team has the overall momentum on their side.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the lines for Tuesday's game.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Mets Odds
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St. Louis Cardinals (+149)
New York Mets (-162)
Over 8 runs (-117)
Under 8 runs (-103)
Why The Cardinals Could Win
Jake Woodford missed all of August but has pitched incredibly in two September games as a starter/long-reliever. In 9 1/3 innings across these two appearances, Woodford allowed just five hits, one run, and two walks. He also struck out eight batters. His latest outing was a four-inning start against the Dodgers. In his first start since July, he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. The Cardinals offense collected 15 hits off Mets pitching yesterday and have historically played very well against NY in recent years. Keep in mind this team still has Yadier Molina, who was a star on the 2006 Cardinals team. Mets fans were reminded of that NLCS loss yesterday when Adam Wainwright pitched. The Cardinals are not only a better team than the Mets, but they have had the Mets' number and Jake Woodford has been exceptional in his last nine innings.
Why The Mets Could Win
Marcus Stroman has been the Mets' best starting pitcher all season. Over his past five starts, he's posted a 3.26 ERA with 29 strikeouts and has only allowed two home runs. He hasn't landed on the IL all year, limits runs, and pitches fairly deep into most games. He's also a Gold-Glove-level defender, playing the pitcher position better than most big league starters this season. The Mets offense had been playing very well lately before getting shut out yesterday. In their 2-1 series win over the Yankees, the Mets scored 10, 7, and 7 runs respectively. So the lineup has definitely gotten much better, they just, unfortunately, ran into one of the game's elite starters in Wainwright. Against a very inexperienced Woodford, the Mets offense should bounce back nicely and can easily put up five or more runs again. Look for Stroman to throw another quality start which will be more than enough if the Mets lineup can produce as I described.
Final Cardinals-Mets Prediction & Pick
Backed by a six-inning, one-run game by Stroman, the Mets offense picks up where they left off in the Subway Series, scoring six runs against the Cardinals, with most of those runs coming off Woodford. Javier Baez connects for a home run as the Mets get back onto a winning streak and inch closer toward that Wild Card spot.
FINAL PICK: NEW YORK METS -162
